BOONE, N.C. — Faculty and staff within Appalachian State University’s Department of Health and Exercise Science, along with a University of North Carolina System colleague at North Carolina State University, received $130,492 in funding from the Reoxcyn Discoveries Group Inc. to determine if a 45-minute walk has the same effect as running for individuals whose diets are high in flavonoids.
The research team for the project consists of Dr. David Nieman, professor in Appalachian State University’s Department of Health and Exercise Science; Dr. Colin Kay, associate professor of North Carolina State University’s Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Science; Chris Capps, research technician within Appalachian’s Department of Health and Exercise Science; and Courtney Goodman and Jennifer McBride, both research scientists in Appalachian’s Department of Health and Exercise Science.
Nieman said a high intake, or more than 2.5 cups per day, of fruits and vegetables is recommended for good health and disease prevention.
“Many of the beneficial health effects related to a diet high in fruits and vegetables come from the purple, red, green, orange and other colorful pigment molecules called flavonoids,” he said.
According to Nieman, after consuming flavonoids, bacteria in the large intestine break them down into smaller molecules that can pass back into the bloodstream and circulate throughout the body, producing healthful effects. He said participants in the project will consume a diet high in flavonoids for a total of two weeks prior to the study.
“Running improves the transfer of the small flavonoid molecules from the colon back into the body, and this study — for the first time — will determine if a 45-minute, brisk walk has a similar influence,” said Nieman.
Appalachian students will be involved with the project through internships.
About the Beaver College of Health Sciences
Appalachian State University’s Beaver College of Health Sciences (BCHS), opened in 2010, is transforming the health and quality of life for the communities it serves through interprofessional collaboration and innovation in teaching, scholarship, service and clinical outreach. BCHS offers nine undergraduate degree programs and seven graduate degree programs, which are organized into six departments: Nursing, Nutrition and Health Care Management, Public Health and Exercise Science, Recreation Management and Physical Education, Rehabilitation Sciences, and Social Work. The college’s academic programs are located in the Holmes Convocation Center on App State’s main campus and the Leon Levine Hall of Health Sciences, a state-of-the-art, 203,000-square-foot facility that is the cornerstone of the Wellness District. In addition, the college supports the Blue Cross NC Institute for Health and Human Services and has collaborative partnerships with the Wake Forest School of Medicine’s Physician Assistant Program, the Appalachian Regional Health System and numerous other health agencies. Learn more at https://healthsciences.appstate.edu.
About Appalachian State University
As the premier public undergraduate institution in the Southeast, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls nearly 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.
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